Altaf Hamid Rao.
MIRPUR (AJK): After the failure of the concerned local public-sector institution in ensuring adequate supply of required pure hygienic water to the local population, a UK-based NGO – Muslim Hands’ mass public welfare projects drive has taken an impetus for phased installation of the water filtration Plants in various locations of Mirpur city and the areas in its outskirt to facilitate the citizens with the supply of quality filtered hygienic water in line with the international standard with the coordination of the local civic institutions.
This was observed on the eve of a consultative workshop titled “Water Quality Related Issues and the Way Forward”, hosted by the Britain-based NGO Muslim Hands at its Mirpur AJK region office here on Tuesday.
AJK Minister for Sports, Culture, MDA and MDHA Ch. Muhammad Saeed was the Chief guest on this occasion. Besides the local head of the Public Health Engineering Department PHED S.E Ch. Khalid Sultan, Deputy Director Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Mirpur division Sardar Idrees Mahmood amd various eminent icons from diverse segments of the civil society including head of the NGO Al-Khidmat Foundation Dr. Riaz Ahmed, President NGOs’ Tehsil Council Dr. Tahir Mahmood, senior Kashmiri journalist and Director CPDR Altaf Hamid Rao, City Administrator Ch. Muhammad Yasin and other officials of the Muslim Hands Zeashan Mirza Media and Communication Officer, Head of Horticulture wing Kashif Mahmood, Overseas Facilitation Desk Officer Hassan Shahzad Nawabi and others also attended the workshop and moved their respective input for ensuring the adequate supply of quality hygienic drinking water to the population in Mirpur city and rest of the district through the mutual coordination of the state, community and the NGOs engaged in socio-economic public welfare projects.
Highlighting various public welfare projects in civic and education sectors in various parts of Mirpur division besides other parts of AJK the Program Advisor and Chief of the local office of the Muslim Hands Raja Arslan Nusrat disclosed that his organization has so far installed at least 20 water filtration plants in various residential parts of Mirpur city fully on its own resources with the due assistance of the local PHED, MDA and the City Municipal Corporation.
Arslan briefed the participants of various other social welfare projects launched by his organization in various parts of Pakistan and Azad Jammu Kashmir including Mirpur district.
The Water Filtration plants have been donated by the Muslim Hands United Kingdom in the wake of the phased series of the installation of the Water Filtration Plants in this city of over a million of UK-based expatriates.
Speaking on this occasion, AJK minister and the local MLA Ch. Muhammad Saeed said that the PML (N) govt intended to provide all possible civic amenities of life to the population including pure drinking water in AJK including Mirpur and the adjoining hamlets with the coordination and cooperation of the Muslim Hands like NGOs and philanthropists engaged in facilitating the local population with such public welfare projects with the generous financial assistance and contribution of the UK -based Kashmiri expatriates-run NGOs and the individuals.
The minister emphasized the need of water conservation and public awareness about saving water besides for the involvement of the community for smooth functioning of the water filtration plants installed by Muslim Hands and eminent local philanthropists like Dr. Khalid Yousaf Mughal, who had first jumped in to the great job installting the water filtration plants at the busiest Quaid e Azam Stadium and Sangoat locality in the city. He also suggested for identification of more new sites in the city for installation of the water filtration plants to ensure the supply of the pure drinking water to the local population.
Praising The Muslim Hands sponsored existing and new welfare projects in various fields of health and education, Ch. Muhammad Saeed said that although the establishment of 20 water filtration plants by the Muslim Hands in various localities of Mirpur city was an unprecedented good step to facilitate the citizens of Mirpur with the pure hygienic water. “Yet it was also the due responsibility of the community and the concerned govt. functionaries to share for ensuring the smooth and everlasting functioning of the water filtration plants under the fold of the committees comprising notables of the concerned residential sectors where the water filtration plants were installed” , he strongly suggested.
Meanwhile, the local population representing all segments of the civil society while praising this great gesture of high morality by the Muslim Hands under the dynamic leadership of head of the Muslim Hands organization Lakhat-e-Husnain to the humanity, have prayed for the ever-lasting success of the water filtration plants and acceptance of these pieces of social work contributed for the humanity before the Allah Almighty.